Welcome to this five-minute guided breathing meditation.
Please find a way to sit or to be that is comfortable but alert.
To start let's take a big deep breath in through the nose out through the mouth and as you exhale allow the eyes to gently close and allow your breathing to return to its natural pattern.
If there are any sounds in the space around you simply notice them and then bring your attention to the body.
We'll start by feeling the points of contact where the body is touching the chair or the floor.
Maybe your hands are resting in your lap or on your legs.
Just notice and feel those points of contact,
Those physical sensations.
And now we'll begin to turn our attention inward.
Take a moment to release any unnecessary tension in the body.
Soften the muscles in the face.
Release the jaw,
The shoulders,
And if you haven't already gradually become aware of the breath.
Notice where you feel it most distinctly.
Is it the tip of the nostrils,
The back of the throat,
The rising and falling sensation of the chest or the stomach?
We aren't trying to breathe in any special way.
We're just following the breath and allowing the body to breathe as it does on its own.
Resting our attention on and following or focusing on each breath from its beginning to the pause in the middle to the end of the exhale to the pause to the beginning of the next breath.
And as you pay close attention to the breath,
Inevitably your mind will wander to a thought or an emotion or a sound.
And this is completely normal.
But as soon as you notice that the mind has wandered,
Gently and without judgment guide the attention back to the breath.
As you follow each breath,
Notice how the chest expands when the body inhales and softens as the body exhales.
Paying attention to the sensations associated with breathing.
Noticing if the breath is deep or shallow,
Long or short.
And not trying to change this,
But just observing the way the body is breathing.
Continue resting your awareness and attention on the breath in this way for the next few moments.
As soon as you notice the mind has become lost in thought,
Gently guide it back to the breath.
This is how we train the mind.
By focusing,
Noticing when we're distracted,
And then refocusing our attention.
As this meditation comes to a close,
I invite you to allow your attention to expand outward.
Notice again the sounds in the space around you.
Feel the weight of the body pressing down onto the chair or the floor.
And when you're ready,
Gently allow the eyes to open.
Thank you.
